A toxic fraction from centipede (Scolopendra sp.) venom was tested in neurotransmitter release experiments. The venom was fractionated by DEAE-cellulose with a linear gradient from 20 mM to 1.0 M of ammonium acetate pH 4.7. Lethality tests were performed by injections into the third abdominal dorsolateral segment of sweet water crayfishes of the species Cambarellus cambarellus. Only fraction V ...

The most widely used ante-mortem diagnostic tests for tuberculosis in cattle are the tuberculin skin test and the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assay, both of which measure cell-mediated immune responses to Mycobacterium bovis infection. However, limitations in the performance of these tests results in a failure to identify all infected animals. In attempting to increase the range of diagnos...

An increase in glucocorticoid levels and down-regulation of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) are supposed to be involved in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. However, possible crosstalk between glucocorticoid- and BDNF-mediated neuronal functions in the CNS has not been elucidated. Here, we examined whether chronic glucocorticoid exposure influences BDNF-triggered intracellul...

The capacity of interferon-gamma to regulate the generation and release of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) from human alveolar macrophages ofnormal nonsmoking individuals was evaluated. When alveolar macrophages were incubated for 60 min with heat aggregated IgG (HAIgG), they generated and released 5.7±1.7 ng ofLT B4 per 106 cells compared to 1.9±0.4 ng from cells incubated with buffer alone, P = 0.02. W...

Antigen and mitogen-induced gamma interferon (gamma-IFN) production was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 34 leprosy patients. 17 of 18 lepromatous leprosy and borderline lepromatous patients (LL and BL) failed to release gamma-IFN in response to specific antigen (Mycobacterium leprae) and displayed reduced responses to mitogen (concanavalin A) stimulation. In contrast, cells f...

Secreted proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are major targets of the specific immunity in tuberculosis and constitute promising candidates for the development of more efficient vaccines and diagnostic tests. We show here that M. tuberculosis-specific antigen 10 (MTSA-10, originally designated CFP-10) can bind to the surface of mouse J774 macrophage-like cells and stimulate the secretion of ...

BACKGROUND Cutaneous drug reactions are common but diagnostically challenging due to phenotypic heterogeneity and simultaneous exposure to multiple drugs. These limitations prompted the development of diagnostic tests. AIMS To evaluate the performance of an in vitro assay measuring interferon-gamma release from patients' lymphocytes in the presence of causative drugs for the diagnosis of drug...

Background: Commissioning tests are recommended before implementing Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. This study evaluated five different plans of IMRT mocks for different modulation indices. Materials and Methods: IMRT tests were done in slab phantom for both 6MV and 15 MV photon energies using a 2D array ion chamber dosimeter. Results: The acceptance criteria were based on 3% /3mm. All t...